


First Encounter

by definitelynotdaniel



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Gen, Implied Self Esteem Issues, M/M, Swearing, kinda fluffy?, like a sort of sugar free fluff, sedation?, this was supposed to be way funnier, we'll get there dont worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23432749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/definitelynotdaniel/pseuds/definitelynotdaniel
Summary: Edward has his quirks, and Oswald has learned most of them pretty well. But talking to himself is not among them... he thinks. So who is Edward talking to now?
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma
Comments: 10
Kudos: 91





	First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> so this all started when I sent this head-canon to chierei on tumblr and they (and several others) seemed to really like it. I initially wasn't going to write it myself, but seeing how others reacted, I decided it couldn't hurt to write a couple chapters out of it. it's not exactly what I initially planned it to be (all comedy and no fluff) but I think I like this version better anyways.

Oswald was groggy, to say the least. His gangly captor had sedated him again last night, insisting that resting would help with the healing process. Personally, Oswald thought that Edward was just tired of hearing him complain, but who could blame him? He was being held against his will for the purpose of “recovery”, while his mother’s murderer was still out there roaming free. You would think committing murder with someone would put you on more equal footing, but apparently, it didn’t earn you any freedoms. From where he lay in the bed he was confined to, he couldn’t see Ed, but he knew he was probably still laying on the couch, flipping casually through some well-loved anatomy textbook by lamplight. In his mind’s eye, he could practically see Ed’s thoughtful expression, his lips mouthing the words as he read them, another one of Ed’s… quirks. 

Ed had many of those, Oswald had noticed, the most peculiar being his penchant for murder. But there were other things, like how he organized his books by publication date (oldest to most recent), or how he wouldn’t look in the mirror on a bad day. He also refused to curse, with the most profane thing to leave his mouth being a very meek ‘darn it’. He could also be, as Oswald had learned the hard way, very clumsy. So, when Oswald heard the sound of fumbling, followed by Ed blurting out ‘fuck!’, he almost laughed. He hadn’t thought Ed had it in hi-

“Cursing is a sign of unintelligence,” he heard Ed say in reproach to… himself? Ed didn’t seem the type to chastise himself aloud, but maybe-

“Bitch.” Ed’s voice rang out again, but then… it didn’t sound exactly like Ed, did it? This variant of Ed’s voice sounded deeper, rougher. Oswald’s blood ran cold at the idea that maybe Ed was not talking to himself and that there may be someone else in the apartment. 

“Fuck,” the voice said again. It sounded a lot like Edward, but something was off about it. Did Edward have a brother? What did _he_ know, if anything? One Edward could be hard enough to deal with, but two overly enthused murder lovers? That could spell trouble.

“Please stop, not now,” Edward’s voice cut back in. He sounded...agitated, and a little frightened, and Oswald had to force himself to stay down and act rationally. Ed may not like his possible brother, but that didn’t mean he was necessarily a threat. Besides, the drugs still in his system made him slow… possibly too slow.

“Cu-”

“Stop it!” Edward shouted this time and Oswald couldn’t help but flinch. Ed didn’t shout, not ever. There was a pause in the argument, and Oswald felt the familiar weight of being stared at. 

“Now look what you’ve done, Ed,” the rough voice spoke again, quieter this time, “You almost woke him up.”

“No, _you_ almost woke him up. Everything was fine before _you_ started talking.” Oswald heard Ed stand up and start pacing as he spoke. 

“Oh please,” the other person must have been walking in time with Ed as he paced, even though Oswald swore he could only hear one set of footsteps, “You just don’t want him to wake up while I’m here because he’d like me better.”

“That’s not true,” Ed cried out, and Oswald had to agree simply on the grounds of first impressions.

“Of course it’s true! I’m smarter-”

“No, you’re not-”

“I’m more attractive-”

“We look the same!”

Oswald’s drug addled mind cried out in alarm at the prospect of twin Edwards. How would he tell them apart, he wondered, before realizing that all he had to do was wait for one of them to open their mouth. Ed on his own could be insufferable, but his high strung nerdiness was definitely better than the cocky braggadocio of whoever else was in the room. Oswald realized the pacing was slowing, and that the bickering had stopped. 

"Don't wake him up, he needs rest." Ed's voice, softer this time, but closer to the bed than he had been previously. 

The footsteps got closer, bringing the other voice with them. "I'm not going to wake him," the stranger murmured as he reached the side of the bed, "I'm just going to make sure he's not getting feverish again." Oswald felt a hand lay on his forehead and scrambled away, falling off the bed in his attempt to get away from the stranger touching him. 

Ed was by his side in an instant, apologizing profusely for frightening him and asking if he had hurt anything in his tumble. Oswald glared at the space the stranger had been occupying, ready to tell him off for touching him and saw… no one? He stood shakily with Ed's help and peered around the apartment. There was no one else there. He allowed himself to be guided back into the bed and let Ed fuss over him for a few moments before he spoke up.

"Who were you talking to, just now?" Ed froze, dropping the pillows he had been rearranging in an attempt to make his patient more comfortable. 

"I-um… what do you mean?" Ed tried to take the pillows back into his shaking grip but Oswald took hold of his arm and forced him to sit on the bed next to him. 

"Ed, you were talking to someone else in this apartment. If there's someone else who knows I'm here, I need to know about it." Ed shook his head vehemently and adjusted his glasses.

"There's no one else here. No one else knows about you."

"Ed-"

"You know what? I just realized, I forgot my notes on decomposition rates at work, I need to go get those."

"You need them at two in the morning?" Oswald asked skeptically.

"Won't take long, I promise," Ed called back as he practically ran out the door. 

Well. If the stranger had, in fact, been here, he had never left. Even in his panic, Oswald would've heard that stupid clanging door easily. If he had been here, he had to still be here. With that in mind, Oswald stood, clinging to the bedside table, and began his search. 

There were only so many places a stranger could hide, especially a stranger who looked exactly like Ed. But after checking the bathroom, behind the couch, under the bed, and for whatever reason, in the water heater closet, Oswald had to admit defeat. 

There was no one else in Grundy 805, and most likely, there never had been. Oswald slipped back into bed, now assured he had dreamed the whole thing. And if Edward looked relieved when he came home from work and was only asked about how the day had gone, Oswald didn't think too hard about it. 

**Author's Note:**

> for the record yes I know I have longer fics I need to work on, but holy gods it is hard to focus on those when you've got smaller easier managed ideas floating through your head.


End file.
